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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24781261">4.01) Shifting Reality</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thatonesleepy/pseuds/Thatonesleepy'>Thatonesleepy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Destiny (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Awoken Guardian (Destiny) - Freeform, Cabal, Exo Guardian (Destiny) - Freeform, Ghost &amp; Guardian-centric (Destiny), The Red War (Destiny)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:08:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,027</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24781261</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thatonesleepy/pseuds/Thatonesleepy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A mysterious mission, a shifting cave network, and harrowing visions. Fireteam Fulgur finds itself in strange company while they search for the missing Hunter Vanguard</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>4.01) Shifting Reality</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is the first ensemble work for Fireteam Fulgur, set long before the events of the first game as you might tell from Osiris and Saint being in positions of power. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The cave system was silent, save for the errant water dropping or the skittering of a bug. They had been there for a few days at this point, scouting out an area that had been designated as a Darkness Zone. It felt strange. None of them felt as if they were any more vulnerable within than without. Ordinarily a palpable shift in Light efficiency could be felt when entering a Darkness Zone. Not enough to inhibit any abilities, but certainly enough to know that death carried more weight than normal. At the very least such zones carried a larger amount of enemies. In the days Fireteam Fulgur had been in the caves, they hadn’t encountered a single enemy. They didn’t even know what they were looking for, as accounts had been conflicted. Some said Hive, others said Fallen. Still others said Vex. No sign of any were held here.</p><p>“Hey, you two still kicking?” Brymoira’s voice made Bardyl jump a little.</p><p>“Aye, all good over here, no bogeys” Barakas’ fractured voice chimed in.</p><p>“Yeah, I’ve seen as much as I have the past few days.” Bardyl reported tersely. </p><p>Their check ins were far and few between, communications were ordinarily kept to a minimum anywhere that was considered a Darkness Zone. Rather, they were until the enemy befell the Fireteam. After as much, comms were full of call outs of various sorts. But, as there had been no connection with any enemy yet, mum was the word. Their days so far had consisted of patrolling a five mile stretch of cave each, making sure to check any open breaks if they came across them. Check in was whenever the first person to get halfway through was. Normally that meant Brymoira was the first to be heard over the radio. She moved quickly enough to search her stretch before the other two got more than half way. One one occasion, Barakas hadn’t even been through a third of his portion before Brymoira finished hers. </p><p>The cave system was labyrinthian in structure and seemed like it never ended. Fulgur felt this was a waste of their collective time, especially considering the lack of movement they came across, but Osiris and Saint-14 had deemed it enough of a danger to keep them there. With the disappearance of Kauko Swiftriver, Guardians had been set to scouring areas that others could get lost in. So they trudged along, getting footage through their Ghosts, hoping that when they had reached the end it would be enough for their leaders. </p><p>|</p><p>On the fifth day of spelunking, Bardyl thought he had found something. Rather, he had heard something. A slight whisper called out his name. He whipped around, startled by the sudden change in normal silence. </p><p>“Harpalyte, did you say something?” He asked, hushed.</p><p>Her voice warbled in his helmet, “No, why? Did you hear something?”</p><p>“Maybe, stay where you are, if I go down, I don’t need you getting captured. If I give the signal, find the other two and evacuate, okay?” </p><p>He stared at the dark wall the whisper had emanated from. There was no way noise could have come from it. He reached out and found that it wasn’t a wall at all, but another corridor, hidden by the shadows of the surrounding rock. He decided to update the team.</p><p>“Bardyl to Fulgur. I’ve found a previously undiscovered side corridor. I thought I heard something from the direction it heads in, I’m going to explore it. If I give Harpalyte a signal, she will retrieve you two and evacuate the system. I’m going to update you more than we agreed on.”</p><p>He didn’t listen for their response, or if there even was one. He started down the darkened path, stepping carefully so he didn’t trip on anything. The way felt colder than the main tunnel he had been in. It also smelled more like mildew and decay. His hands tightened around the pistol and forward grips as he brought the pulse rifle to bear. The flashlight attached to it didn’t help as much as he would have liked, but it was better than nothing and he needed to be prepared for combat anyway. As he stalked down the dark walkway, loose rocks crunching underfoot, another whisper drifted into his helmet. </p><p>
  <i>“you can’t save them bardyl…”</i>
</p><p>He stopped cold. His finger curled around the trigger. He waited for something to come from the dark. When nothing did, he continued. He could feel a breeze, chilling him further. There was a scrabble as some rocks fell to the ground, pulling Bardyl’s attention for a moment. When he looked back down the path, he was no longer in a cave. He stood in the middle of the Tower courtyard. Everything was on fire and in ruins. An unfamiliar woman stood next to him, looking exhausted. Sirens blared and the sky was black and grey with clouds.</p><p>She turned to him, shot past him and in a voice almost as soothing as his Ghost’s she said, “Bardyl, you need to focus. And we need to get out of here before these Cabal kill us.”</p><p>He blinked at her. He didn’t know how she knew his name, nor how the Cabal had gotten to the Tower. He didn’t know how he had gotten to the Tower either. He turned, pulled his sights up and shot one Cabal down after another. One Legionnaire, two Legionnaires, one Phalanx, three Legionnaires, some kind of lizard dog. Then he pulled the trigger, aiming at a Psion when it morphed into Brymoira. Four shots tore four holes in her chest and head. </p><p>He screamed, “NO!”</p><p>She dropped, shrieking in her death throes. He ran over to her, hopping over rubble. Her Ghost, Lacuna, lie dark beside her bleeding head. </p><p>Bardyl clambered to his feet. His chest tightened, a pit in his stomach formed. He heard the telltale sound of a Phalanx swinging it’s shield and ducked while throwing a knife where it’s head would be. When he looked, he saw Barakas fall to the ground with the handle of his knife protruding from his chest. Bardyl ran over to him, hearing that he was still alive. Oil bled from the wound. Barakas’ voice crackled over his communication unit.</p><p>“You… killed me… Bard… why would you… killlll…” His voice trailed off as he fell into death.</p><p>This time Bardyl didn’t scream, his voice barely registerable, “Barakas… no…”</p><p>Barakas’ Ghost, Abaddon, fell to the ground next to him as Bardyl fell backwards and pushed himself away. He looked up and saw the woman from before, beckoning him to follow. He stood, ready to go. She suddenly looked horrified. Her body began to disintegrate feet first as her face went from terror to anguish. Bardyl dropped to his knees, he felt helpless. The pit in his chest chilled his entire body. A lump formed in his throat as he fell to rest on his feet, placing his face into his hands as he began to sob. The smell of ash and carbon disappeared. He lifted his head, turned to look behind himself, and heard one more whisper before the cave opening collapsed. </p><p>
  <i>“you will watch all that you love… die.”</i>
</p><p>|</p><p>Barakas had been having a relatively good time here in the cave. Ordinarily, he was more focused on unlocking the secrets behind death, but this place posed a unique challenge. It seemed to shift with him. </p><p>“Abaddon, do me a favor and track my movements for the next mile. I’m going to trace them back and attempt to end up in the same place. While you’re at it, mark my global coordinates now so when I come back, we can see if anything changes.” </p><p>His normal vaguely Scottish accent was gone. He only ever kept that up around those that knew him. He had for a few decades, as an experiment. At one point he had been separated from Abaddon after a death. This resulted in a prolonged time in the space between life and death. While it did give him a bit to write about, he decided it would be fun to try to convince some of his acquaintances that such an occurrence could result in physiological changes. This was not possible as far as he, or any other Thanatonauts, could tell. Abaddon’s deep voice interrupted his thoughts.</p><p>“Global coordinates acquired, tracking route as soon as you begin to move.”</p><p>Barakas began to walk at a brisk pace, eager to see what he might learn. It had been found over the course of the past few days that not only was there no hostile presence in the system of underground caves, but the caves also took up more space than what might be possible. He had trekked far beyond the requisite five miles each day to find something, anything. Abaddon estimated that Barakas traveled well over twenty miles each day, all the while avoiding his or his teammates’ previous paths. </p><p>This concerned Barakas. Either this was a vast, uninhabited underground network of natural tunnels underneath the surface of Io, or this was a cave which had some kind of paracausal properties. Neither was particularly good news, as one meant a tactical nightmare and the other was unheard of; but if it were paracausal scenery, he would be lauded as the one to discover such a thing was possible. </p><p>“You have reached one mile from your previous global coordinates.”</p><p>His Ghost stopped him, and his thoughts, dead in his tracks. </p><p>“Right! The other direction now!”</p><p>“Error. The path you followed no longer exists. Your previous trail now follows through the solid rock of the moon Io.”</p><p>Barakas became elated at this news. His hypothesis had been proven correct in a matter of minutes.</p><p>“You saved the data and the footage, right Abaddon?” </p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>Barakas hopped and danced for a moment before declaring they needed to find a way out. Abaddon provided directions for as much.</p><p>“I have calculated a route that should lead to an exit, working under the assumption that crossing your teammates’ previous paths might yield some level of similarities.”</p><p>Abaddon flitted away with Barakas jogging behind him. </p><p>|</p><p>Brymoira sat against a wall, tossing a rock a few inches in the air before catching it. It glowed as if heated. </p><p>“How much longer do we need to stay in this dank hole?” She whined.</p><p>Lacuna’s tone held a matronly demeanor, “As soon as we’ve mapped the entire system, Bry.” </p><p>
  <i>“Or until you’ve given up.”</i>
</p><p>She heard a voice. It was familiar. It made her angry. She got up, balling her hands up, ready to fight. The rock in her hand ignited as she clenched her fist.</p><p>Her voice seethed, “Where are you? Show yourself!”</p><p>“Who are you talking to Brymoira?” Lacuna sounded concerned.</p><p>“That voice, it was Leyanne’s.”</p><p>“What voice? The cave is silent.”</p><p>Brymoira looked at her Ghost. Under her helmet her face was set in placid confusion. The rock had melted by now, seeping between her fingers as she tried to figure out what was going on. She began to walk in the direction of the voice. It was the voice of an old, dead friend. When she was resurrected by Lacuna, she was buried in a small town of Awoken. Brymoira had been a guard for the town when resident Risen attacked. She was a casualty. A few weeks later, Lacuna showed up, rose Brymoira from her grave, and they stayed in town for a few days. </p><p>At first everyone seemed happy she had returned. But it wasn’t long before they began to hold her at arm’s length. It wasn’t surprising nor really impactful to Brymoira, she had just met these people, she didn’t see why she should hold them in high regard. One of the last things Leyanne had said to Brymoira as she left the town was something along the lines of:</p><p>“Fine! Leave us again! Abandon your friends and family you… you bitch!”</p><p>Brymoira hadn’t ever looked back. Occasionally her dreams were haunted by their faces. Shortly after she had left, the band of Risen returned to finish what they started with Brymoira after all. The town was all killed, the buildings were burned to the ground. Not so much as a cat made it out alive. That was lifetimes ago. She couldn’t figure out why she would be having hallucinations about them now. </p><p>
  <i>“Because you’re guilty. You let your friends die. You forsook your own family.”</i>
</p><p>There it was again, just ahead of her. She broke into a sprint, leaving melted earth in her footprints. Lacuna shouted after her, but she ignored her Ghost. She was going to find whomever this impersonator was and end them in hellfire. The air around her began to cone as she heard the hateful voice again.</p><p>
  <i>“What, are you going to betray us again like you did before? You let us die. You wanted us to be gone. We were monuments to your failure.”</i>
</p><p>A molten hammer appeared in her left hand, she skidded to a stop and slammed it into the wall next to her, creating a charred crater in it. Her eyes clenched shut as she shouted at the disembodied voice.</p><p>“Shut up! I was new! I never knew any of you! Why should I have stayed, you all hated what I was!”</p><p>When she opened her eyes again she was outside. </p><p>“Wha”</p><p>The air was thick with smoke, laughter, and screams. She turned around to see a burning village. Her heart skipped a beat. A handful of chuckling people walked from the flames. They didn’t seem to notice her as they walked by, mocking their victims’ suffering. She watched as they strode down the dirt path. She turned around and went straight into the inferno that consumed her past self’s family and friends. There wasn’t any heat. Everything actually felt cold to her, chilling her to her core as she looked upon the carnage. When she entered the center of the village, where the leaders would announce various things, her stomach did a cartwheel. </p><p>Three people were crucified and gutted. They had been stripped bare. Their entrails hung from gaping wounds. Their faces had been cut off. A girl was still alive, screaming in anguish as the flames licked her open body. Brymoira doubled over and vomited. When she stood straight again the girl was inches from her. She took a swing, her fist passed straight through the girl’s flayed face. The voice began again, surrounding Brymoira with it’s vindictive rage.</p><p>
  <i>"This was just as much your doing as it was theirs. You hated us. You wanted us gone. You could have stayed and fought but instead you went off on your own little journey. That should be you dying in pain. I was a medic. I HELPED people. You only kill."</i>
</p><p>Brymoira backed away. The other two bodies had vanished. The flames had burned away. The girl kept on her. She stank of rot and charred carbon. Brymoira wanted to run. She wanted to forget this town. </p><p>
  <i>"You’re a disgusting monster. You want to run even now. Go! Run! What good are you to a forgotten town anyway!"</i>
</p><p>Brymoira turned and began to sprint. Just as she got to the town’s edge, the world around her darkened and she slammed into a stone wall. The wall gave, casting sunlight on her. She fell to her knees and began to cry. She cried until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She shot up and was about to start swinging when she saw it was Bardyl. His face was somehow harder than it ordinarily was. He helped her up and she hugged him, sobbing into his shoulder. </p><p>|</p><p>“Barakas, do you copy? This is Bardyl. Brymoira and I found our way out of the cave system. If you’re picking this up, come out of there. I’m scrubbing the mission.”</p><p>Bardyl’s voice was hollow. He was drained. Brymoira sat against a tree, her face red and swollen from crying. She was drained as well. Harpalyte materialized next to Bardyl. She immediately picked up on his feelings. She looked over to Brymoira, who had tears rolling down her cheeks again.</p><p>“Bard… are you okay? What happened? Where’s Barakas? Where’s Lacuna?”</p><p>Bardyl just stared at the hole Brymoira had created silently. </p><p>“Bardyl, answer me. Where is Barakas?”</p><p>His fractured voice sounded from the hole.</p><p>“‘Ere I am love. Didn’t know ye’d miss me so much. I’d hev stayed by my friend’s soid.”</p><p>Brymoira got up, using solar light to burn her tears away before Barakas saw her. Lacuna flew out from behind him and went to Brymoira’s side. </p><p>“Oh, and lookie who we found on the way out. Probably shouldn’t lose her, eh Bry?”</p><p>He winked at her. She looked away. Bardyl hugged Barakas. It had just been a vision. They were all okay. </p><p>“Barakas. What did you see in there?” Bardyl’s voice was harsh, but inquisitive.</p><p>“Me? I saw nothin but a whole mess o shiftin rocks. Those tunnels we traveled through? They likely cover between seven an ten square miles. We were essentially walkin in circles for days in there. Why? What did you two see?” He sounded excited.</p><p>“Nothing.” Brymoira was hoarse.</p><p>“I didn’t see anything either. I’m glad you’re out. Let’s go report our findings to Osiris and Saint.” Bardyl tried to wrap things up. </p><p>As they walked to their jumpships Barakas talked about the implications of the cave system, how it could have been the Traveler’s residual light shifting the very ground. Bardyl and Brymoira listened absently, stricken by their visions. When they asked their Ghosts what it could have been on the way back to the Tower, neither had concrete answers.</p><p>“Visions from the Traveler are far and few between. It could have meant any number of things.” Both Ghosts told their Guardians.</p><p>Harpalyte added, “But a vision of a Cabal invasion on the Tower? I don’t like that at all.”</p><p>That night, Bardyl had nightmares of killing his friends. Brymoira had nightmares of killing her family. Barakas stayed up, writing notes about what they had found, only having half the story.</p>
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